SHARP HOME

Friday, 14 September 2012

Location, location, location: what about it?

We all know that when it comes to
buying your dream home, finding the perfect house is only half the
battle; much of its true worth comes from “location, location,
location.” The perfect house in the wrong neighbourhood ceases to
be the perfect house. This is one reason why aspiring home owners
seek to buy a desirable lot of land and build their home there: it
gives them control over those variables. But what exactly is it about
location that you should be investigating before pursuing a
particular neighbourhood? Which aspects of location deserve a bit of
your time and research?

Schools – if you plan on
sending your children to publicly funded schools, then their schools
will likely be assigned to them on the basis of neighbourhood
boundaries. If you're at a loss as to which neighbourhoods to begin
looking in, do a bit of digging to learn what schools have good
reputations, and programs that will best suit your children's
academic and extracurricular needs.

Crime – many municipalities'
police forces now post interactive crime maps online, giving you
access to information such as the frequency and locations of
homicides, robberies, sexual offenses, assaults, break-ins, thefts,
drug related issues, and traffic violations. Reviewing these
statistics can help you determine if there is truth to long standing
reputations; oftentimes, neighbourhoods deemed as unsafe are actually
not, and vice versa.

Technological accessibility –
many families opt to set up their dream house in a remote, scenic
setting like a farm, or a wood, where trees abound and neighbours are
far. Oftentimes, the price they pay for this is having limited access
to technology. There may only be dial-up internet available. Cell
phone reception may be poor. If your family relies heavily upon the
use of cell phones and internet, then it may not be favourable for
you to forego such amenities.

Future developments – having
more or less decided on a neighbourhood of interest, try and learn
what plans for future development are in store there. For example: is
there a very large tract of land that has just been purchased by the
city to use for the creation of roadways that will increase traffic
to and from your neighbourhood? This may be an advantage or
disadvantage depending on your priorities. If such a development
increases the accessibility of your neighbourhood, then it will
likely cause an overall increase in the future value of houses in the
neighbourhood, which is is definitely in your favour. However, if you
are drawn by the peace and quiet, such a development may detract from
your desire to be there. Are there plans for the house next door to
be demolished and replaced with a multi-family complex? Will the new
building block out the sunlight from the bright kitchen you love so
much? If your dream home will only be your dream home for one year,
do you really want it? Conversely, if your “good enough” home
will turn into your dream home as a result of future developments,
could you live with “good enough” until that happens?

Surveying these criteria will help you
to avoid being swept away by the charm of an attractive home, only to
be displeased with it later.